Essence Devouring Art

The Celestial Domain is vast, the cosmos endless.

In the silent expanse of space.

The Jinxiao Ship maintained a steady speed, following the guidance of the Star Map. It continuously warped through magnetic fields, venturing beyond the Primordial Star Domain.

「Three days later.」

Wu Dao finally opened his eyes. His consciousness reached beyond his Divine Country to gaze upon the completed magnetic field network.

The overall structure of the magnetic field network resembled a vortex-like disc, surrounded by concentric rings.

The magnetic sphere at its center served as the network’s core node, forged from a Nascent Soul Human Immortal. The concentric rings radiating outward were composed of True Monarchs and True Masters.

Three thousand in total.

He had culled some of the original, lower-quality "batteries."

It comprised all the top elites from both the Primordial Divine Sect and the Jinxiao Sect. Anyone below the Celestial Human Fifth Floor was unworthy of even serving as a node for the Primordial Dao Wheel.

The Primordial Dao Wheel.

This was the official name Wu Dao had given to his Primordial Magnetic Computer Network, a creation that would be immensely useful for his future cultivation of the Primordial Magnetic Dao.

Within those three days,

he had completely corrupted and assimilated the three thousand Polluted Bodies. From their physical forms to their spiritual consciousness, their Life Magnetic Fields were brought into total sync with his, becoming extensions of himself.

Furthermore, through subsequent experiments,

he had transformed his theory into a viable reality.

This was the realization of Wu Dao’s initial idea: to outsource his own cultivation.

In his future cultivation,

the Primordial Dao Wheel would not only use the soul-based computational power of three thousand individuals to deduce and analyze information, shortening the time he needed to comprehend the Heaven-Opening Technique.

It could also act as a legion of miners.

As they cultivated to their limits with their synchronized magnetic fields, the strengthening of each node would directly increase his Primordial Magnetic Power and further unlock his own potential.

’Not bad. Since the attribute panel is garbage, I’ll just forge my own support plug-in.’

As Wu Dao’s consciousness gazed upon the Primordial Dao Wheel, which resembled a mesmerizing, dream-like astrolabe, he grew increasingly satisfied. He immediately set it in motion.

WUUUUM~

On the ship’s deck.

At a mere thought from Wu Dao,

the Primordial Dao Wheel began to spin, its layers rotating from the inside out. The sound of flesh and soul grinding at extreme speeds, a chorus of fervent worship, arose along with crackling, incandescent bursts of Primordial Magnetic current.

One spin!

Ten spins!

A hundred spins!

Two hundred spins!

WUUUUMMM—

The rotational frequency of the concentric rings reached such a velocity that they blurred into stillness.

Spinning at two hundred revolutions, the Primordial Magnetic Vortex Wheel whirled at full power, kicking up a magnetic storm in the cosmos.

Like a black hole, it devoured the universe’s magnetic field energy, slowly strengthening its three thousand nodes while simultaneously providing Wu Dao with a stream of pure Cultivation Food.

Within his Divine Country,

Wu Dao could clearly feel it.

As the Life Magnetic Fields of the three thousand Dao Wheel nodes entered an enhanced state of cultivation, his own potential was being unearthed and strengthened, however minutely.

In his Sea of Origin,

it was as if he had grown a second "brain," its deductive and computational power identical to his own.

Most importantly,

the Primordial Dao Wheel could also open the Divine Ghost Heaven and a controllable version of Godlessness Heaven.

When necessary,

it could even unleash the "third heaven," sever the Faith Channel, and create a risk-free "Divine Image Destruction Bomb"!

From now on, as long as he continuously culled and replaced the nodes of the Primordial Dao Wheel, he could forever enjoy double his normal, all-around cultivation efficiency.

In comparison,

the attribute panel had too many limitations. It was unstable, wasted his time and energy, and was simply far too inefficient.

He let out a breath.

After confirming the Primordial Dao Wheel was operating without error, Wu Dao retracted his focus. A waterfall of his cultivation data streamed through his Divine Sea—

Physique: Sacred Spirit

Extraordinary: Essence Devouring·Opening the Sky (1/11) [+}

Three-Phase Divine Punishment Fist: 40,000 Years (Fist Phase 0/33) [+}

Holy Spirit Transformation: 40,000 Years (Horizontal Refining Tenth Dao Gate, Human World Yang God, 0/33) [+}

Primordial Magnetic Divine Techniques: Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber, Ten Directions Divine Slaughter, Primordial Magnetic Tribulation Finger, Celestial Essence Magnetic Burst Fist, Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage, Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryo, Infinite Magnetic Shock.

Holy Spirit Divine Techniques: One Origin, Ten Thousand Transformations - Dharma Aspect (0/33)

Great All Heavens Divine Techniques: Unassailable Dharma Aspect (0/33) [+], Five Thunders Celestial Heart Technique, Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique, Cease-Warfare Armor-Stripping, Great Thousand Seal, Dragon-breaking Skill, Celestial Will Four Symbols Fist... (Land Immortal) [+}

Creation Divine Techniques: Great Silence of All Heavens (Grandmaster) [+}

Emperor Scripture: Thunder Emperor Scripture, Ten Thousand Solutions Emperor Scripture, Inference Celestial Emperor Scripture, Returning Abyss Sword Scripture, Luotian Sword Scripture, Qing Yu World-Extinguishing Scripture (Land Immortal) [+}

Celestial Treasure: Bitter Dust Robe (Emperor’s Artifact 100%)

Celestial Treasure Advancement Ceremony: Suffering Dust Mortal Transformation.

Celestial Treasure Law: Concealing Celestial Secret, Cause and Effect Immunity.

Divine Format: Primordial (Lower True God) [+}

Teleportation Points: 0

There wasn’t much change on the attribute panel.

The only addition was the data on his Divine Format, which he had obtained by simulating the theft of the Primordial Divine Monarch’s Divine Fire.

’A Lower True God.’

Wu Dao’s consciousness focused on his Divine Format’s rank, pondering how he should go about elevating it.

The core of the Primordial Dao Wheel was the Faith Channel constructed from Divine Fire. Only by continuously elevating his rank could he convert even stronger followers and thus perpetually raise the Primordial Dao Wheel’s upper limit.

There are two paths for a Divine Spirit’s advancement.

The path of Incense Fire Wish Power is too slow.

To advance quickly enough to keep pace with his own cultivation, he had only one other option—the second path.

Devour Divine Fire and feast upon the gods!

’Mother of the Void... an Upper True God. Not bad. A juicy target.’

Information about the Mother of the Void, the Supreme God of the Vacuum Sect, surfaced in his Sea of Divine Soul. A hungry, predatory glint appeared in Wu Dao’s eyes as he locked onto his new prey.

However,

an Upper True God was equivalent to a Human Race expert with a King Grade Dharma Aspect at the Fifth Layer or above.

The Dharma Realm is very special.

Each layer could be considered an entire realm unto itself, and the power gap between them was utterly overwhelming.

Even if the Mother of the Void’s was only a King Grade,

the power gap of being above the Fifth Layer was still too vast. For her, crushing the current Wu Dao would be as easy as crushing an ant. He couldn’t make a move against her anytime soon.

Wu Dao estimated

that he would need to, at the very least, completely open the eleven All-Heaven cycles he was currently cultivating.

Furthermore, his Dharma Aspect would have to take its first step.

Only by Opening God Without Heaven would he have the confidence to hunt and kill the Mother of the Void, punching far above his current weight class.

WHOOSH~

He let out a slow, turbid breath.

Wu Dao suppressed these thoughts, dismissed the attribute panel, and activated the Divine Ghost Heaven. He began to devour the magnetic field energy supplied by the Primordial Dao Wheel, resuming his bland, normal cultivation.

He found himself missing the Celestial Thunder Gang Wind of the Divine Wilderness.

Those beautiful ladies there were certainly pathological, always ready to stomp him into a cellular paste, but the feeling after taming them... that was a flavor he could savor forever.

He wondered.

’What flavor will Hongyuan’s brand of pathology have?’

...

Another nearly ten days of travel passed.

The Jinxiao Ship pressed onward, not stopping for even a second.

Wu Dao had no interest in the local sights or cultures of the star systems they passed. He simply pushed the ship to full speed, heading for the Star Ruins that lay beyond the Primordial Star Domain.

In those ten days,

Wu Dao’s cultivation made little progress overall, largely due to the lack of a "pathological beauty" to whip him into shape.

The focus of his cultivation,

he focused most of his efforts on comprehending his twenty Heaven-Opening Techniques and on understanding each step that came after achieving his current Dharma Aspect.

His plan was to first clear away all the theoretical roadblocks—to finish the "book learning," so to speak.

That way, when he began the practical side of his cultivation, he wouldn’t need to divert his focus to deduction and comprehension. In a way, this preparation was itself a form of progress on his path.

Over the course of ten days,

with the computational aid of the Primordial Dao Wheel—which was also running its own Divine Ghost Heaven—

his progress on the twenty Heaven-Opening Techniques was astonishing.

The strongest of them, the Great Silence of All Heavens, had already been deduced and absorbed to the level of a Divine Technique. The others had mostly reached the tier of Great Divine Techniques, and it wouldn’t be long before they, too, could form their own Dharma Aspects,

Once he cultivated each one until it manifested a Dharma Aspect,

Wu Dao would be able to open dozens more All-Heaven cycles, rapidly tapping into the second-stage potential of his Dao Body.

「Half a day later.」

VMMMM~

Another abnormal magnetic field fluctuation in the distance

caught Wu Dao’s attention.

Tracing the magnetic field fluctuation back to its source, he located it over a hundred thousand miles behind him.

There, Wu Dao discovered a small, Grotto Heaven-level Star Shuttle warping through the void.

’The same route again. A coincidence, or something more?’

Wu Dao’s brow furrowed slightly.

During his journey,

more than one Immortal Ship and Star Shuttle from the Primordial Star Domain and its neighboring Star Realms had traveled along this same stellar route, all heading for the exact same destination.

He knew this because

the space between the Grand Cosmoses of the Chaotic Star Celestial Domain was riddled with countless hidden, chaotic tempests of space-time.

Anyone or anything below the Saint Level,

be it an Extraordinary or an Immortal Ship,

could only reach their destination safely by sticking to the stable stellar routes pioneered by their predecessors.

And the route the Jinxiao Ship was currently on

had only one possible destination.

The Star Ruins, a forbidden zone in the void beyond the Primordial Star Domain!

This was highly unusual.

The route to this forbidden zone,

aside from a few merchant fleets that came to mine its rare resources, one might not see a single Immortal Ship pass through in a century.

But now, in a mere ten days,

he had counted no fewer than twenty passersby on this very route.

Some were entire fleets traveling in formation.

Others were small, solitary Star Shuttles.

Furthermore, judging by the faction insignias on the starships and shuttles, they were almost all from neighboring Star Realms, not natives of the Primordial Star Domain.

Such an anomaly meant something was afoot.

Especially a string of anomalies one after another.

Within the Star Ruins,

the scent of blood, or perhaps profit, was in the air. A major event must be on the horizon, attracting prospectors from all corners of the cosmos, all willing to expend vast resources crossing star realms just to get in on the action.

’Could some incredible treasure be about to emerge from the Star Ruins?’

At this thought,

Wu Dao’s interest was piqued. He engaged the Primordial Magnetic engine, reduced his speed, and moved to intercept the small, Grotto Heaven-level Star Shuttle that was following.

On the path of an Extraordinary,

serendipitous opportunities and great fortunes were indispensable.

The Bitter Dust Robe, for instance, had been a massive help to him. If this new opportunity was worth making a move for, he certainly couldn’t afford to miss it.

Most importantly,

he had already chosen the Star Ruins to be his future base of operations.

If something major was happening there, he couldn’t just plunge in blind.

VMMMM~

As the Jinxiao Ship decelerated,

a vast and distorted magnetic field spread out from it.

It created a gigantic magnetic storm in a radius of over a million miles, tossing the pursuing Star Shuttle about violently.

Inside the rocking Dragon-Shaped Star Shuttle,

several hundred men and women. Among them, thirty wild, unruly men with bandit-like auras stood out, as did an Iron Maiden whose aura was the most potent of all. They were all in the ranks of Great Divine Techniques.

Before the magnetic storm,

they had been in the middle of a debaucherous, wild party inside a tackily extravagant hall.

The sudden magnetic storm attack,

drained the color from everyone’s faces, throwing them into a state of panicked chaos.

"Son of a bitch! A void storm? Don’t tell me we’re this unlucky."

Atop the dragon throne at the head of the hall,

the Star Shuttle’s leader, Wei Tianlong, also broke out in a cold sweat. With his wild hair, bear-like physique, and muscles piled like small hills, his chest and back were tattooed with a ferocious Red Dragon, inked using the blood of some unknown beast.

He dared not continue his revelry.

He roughly shoved aside the enchanting pair of youths—a young man and woman—from his lap and flew towards the Star Shuttle’s central control core.

After a quick inspection.

"Damn it, that scared the hell out of me."

Wei Tianlong let out a huge sigh of relief.

It wasn’t a void storm, just a common stellar field disturbance, and it had already stabilized.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

But before Wei Tianlong’s heart could settle, a sound rang out, like a person’s palm knocking on glass.

On the main control console,

an image of the outside appeared.

In the void of space,

a burly, short-haired man in a dark Dharma Robe hovered before the Star Shuttle. He was politely tapping on the hull, his voice transmitting directly to Wei Tianlong inside the cabin: "Pardon the intrusion, fellow Daoist. Might I ask you to stay your course for a moment?"

’A Human Immortal?’

As a veteran pirate who had roamed these star realms for years, Wei Tianlong instantly gauged the visitor’s strength from his aura.

After a brief frown,

Wei Tianlong’s expression returned to calm. He ordered his men not to make any rash moves, then sent a wisp of his Divine Thought through the hull of the ship, materializing his own projection in front of the hatch.

He had cultivated the Martial Dao for several thousand years.

He was also in the Dharma Realm.

He was certainly not afraid of a Human Immortal. There was no need to be timid; it was best to be direct and get straight to the point.